piebaps Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 AG's sentencing comments 'worrying', says MHK "East Douglas MHK Chris Robertshaw says it sounds like meddling for political ends" Is it 'meddling'? At the end of the day wouldn't the CPS in the UK 'want' a particular type of sentence or other? AG is not elected - so isn't the question really: 'what conversations, if any, went on between the AG and any other politicians over this matter?' I'll bet the answer would be 'none'. +1 on the above. If anybody is meddling its Chris! The AG has a small window in which to appeal if he thinks a sentence is too lenient. Saying that he will be appealing is simply him giving notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 on a similar theme, I don't think it's up to the Police to express emotional comments on doing their job, they are there to enforce the law, not make the law or interpret it as they see fit, nor to get mad or emotional about anything A senior police officer says the sentencing of Isle of Man business tycoon Trevor Baines and his wife shows money laundering will not be tolerated on the Island. Baines, 71, was yesterday (Friday) jailed for two and a half years for stealing nearly £1 million from a trust fund, while his wife Wendy was jailed for 18 months for stealing £400,000. The convictions stem back to the Baineses' high profile money laundering trial in 2009 when Trevor Baines was jailed for six years. Detective Sergeant Lynne Skelly of the Financial Crime Unit says the sentencing is a clear warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) on a similar theme, I don't think it's up to the Police to express emotional comments on doing their job, they are there to enforce the law, not make the law or interpret it as they see fit, nor to get mad or emotional about anything I can't see what the problem is myself. If the basic message they are putting out is that if you run a licensed CSP in the Isle of Man robbing money out of clients trust funds is sort of acting outside of the parameters of your FSC license then that's fair enough. The underlying fact is that things have moved on here since the 1970's, and the authorities should be sending a clear message out to the Island's other regulated wealthy medallion men (a few still exist out there) that running a regulated private wealth businesses as a 1970's style private fiefdom in this day and age is unacceptable. Edited February 28, 2011 by thesultanofsheight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theodolite Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) The Attorney general has spoken. I wonder does he mean it or is this so that he can retire on the moral high ground? extracted from the Isle of Man Examiner front page report: I hope he means it although from my angle it's a bit late in the day for him to be making such comments about the reputation of the Manx Legal Profession and such matters. Anyway, I hope his successor takes the same attitude. Edited March 1, 2011 by Theo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugger Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I like the thought of him being concerned for the reputation of the legal profession, given that they had to get lawyers from overseas both to prosecute and defend the case, presumably because of a lack of expertise here. Oh, and an acting deemster from overseas to judge the fecking thing. What a terrific homegrown profession we must have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theodolite Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 The Attorney general has spoken. I wonder does he mean it or is this so that he can retire on the moral high ground? extracted from the Isle of Man Examiner front page report: I hope he means it although from my angle it's a bit late in the day for him to be making such comments about the reputation of the Manx Legal Profession and such matters. Anyway, I hope his successor takes the same attitude. Even by Isle of Man Newspaper bottom-of-the-journalism-class standards, this is a piss poor article. If you read between the lines, it is quite obvious that there was nothing whatsoever unusual or "astonishing" nor did the Attorney-General make any "intervention". The London barrister who appeared simply, as you would expect, discussed the matter with the man who instructed him and then communicated some of that highly relevant discussion to the court to assist it in deciding a suitable sentence. There is no "political interference" and the article is complete bollocks based on a reporter being totally ignorant about how courts operate. Not that that stopped Mr Robertshaw from attempting to jump on any passing bandwagon, of course. The way the article reads is that the Attorney-General burst into court dressed in a gorilla suit. Utter drivel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 There is no "political interference" and the article is complete bollocks based on a reporter being totally ignorant about how courts operate. Not that that stopped Mr Robertshaw from attempting to jump on any passing bandwagon, of course. The way the article reads is that the Attorney-General burst into court dressed in a gorilla suit. Utter drivel. If you think Robertshaw was bad have a look at the Liberal Vannin parties press release. Basically they are stating that the AG was acting on instructions from the Council of Ministers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugger Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 AGs are interested in sentences. It is the AG that appeals against sentences that he feels are too low. I really don't know what the fuss is about over the AG. Personally, I agree that the sentence is light - just looks like Athol Street protecting their own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTF Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 AGs are interested in sentences. It is the AG that appeals against sentences that he feels are too low. I really don't know what the fuss is about over the AG. Personally, I agree that the sentence is light - just looks like Athol Street protecting their own they do, it won't be the last time, and i doubt it was the first. i'm surprised she was even found guilty, but protesting innocence when the guy that talked you into it holds his hands up on the matter and drops you well and truly in it is a bit too much even for athol street to hide so she had to be seen to get some sort of conviction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Whose sentence was light, a man in his 70s who has led a very fine life, but now seems destined to languish in a high security prison for the major part of his remaining life, or a young lawyer whose career is now in tatters? Is either humane, or really proportionate? Meanwhile, we have our Tone dismally failing in trying to make his new best mate in Libya see sense and then some embarrassed shuffling in the Cameron camp, let alone the rescue debacle. Libya was good for a while, now it is bad again, and sanctions rain down. Let's face it, no sane person would have thought snuggling up to Gaddafi was either sensible or ethical. But that is what happened and has anyone faced money laundering charges because money has moved. But that is given the cloak of respectibility as 'diplomacy'. The same diplomacy that has led to countless deaths in many other countries, ignored because of 'sovereignty' but actually the motivator is money. So, how can the international community take the moral high ground in this without even blushing at the things they have ignored? And which poor fucker is going to end up with a Libyan connection taken on when they were great chaps the other week, but now seem to be pariahs? I commend anyone interested in this to read Misha Glenny, 'McMafia', it certainly makes you think about not only the nuts and bolts of money laundering, but also how the global economy has fostered it without taking any meaningful steps to control it other than seeking a few exemplars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Orry Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/fsc//detailedassessmentofobservanceof.pdf page 10 / points 7 & 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
censorship Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Even by Isle of Man Newspaper bottom-of-the-journalism-class standards, this is a piss poor article. If you read between the lines, it is quite obvious that there was nothing whatsoever unusual or "astonishing" nor did the Attorney-General make any "intervention". The London barrister who appeared simply, as you would expect, discussed the matter with the man who instructed him and then communicated some of that highly relevant discussion to the court to assist it in deciding a suitable sentence. There is no "political interference" and the article is complete bollocks based on a reporter being totally ignorant about how courts operate. Not that that stopped Mr Robertshaw from attempting to jump on any passing bandwagon, of course. The way the article reads is that the Attorney-General burst into court dressed in a gorilla suit. Utter drivel. Excellently put Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/fsc//detailedassessmentofobservanceof.pdf page 10 / points 7 & 18 Quite so. I fully support AML inititaives and legislation, what I would hope to see is fairness and also leadership from the top on who people are prepared to do business with. You also have to question whether AML is actually working to dissuade the perpetrators of the originating crimes to commit those crimes. Or, for that matter, the terrorists from obtaining their funding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Goblin Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Quite so. I fully support AML inititaives and legislation, what I would hope to see is fairness and also leadership from the top on who people are prepared to do business with. You also have to question whether AML is actually working to dissuade the perpetrators of the originating crimes to commit those crimes. Or, for that matter, the terrorists from obtaining their funding. The problem is that the AML provisions, in reality, are only applied to the "little" people - those with billions can get away with it as Governments and banks either turn a blind eye or accept any story they're told. Every now and then one of the "little guys" has to be hung out to dry so as to present the veneer to the plebs that ML will not be tolerated. I am afraid the real world is not the world we think exists - we live in an illusion. To paraphrase that American lady (I forget her name) who was done for tax evasion - "only the little people are bound by Money Laundering Rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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